‘I have been desperately trying to get in touch with the Missio National Director of Haiti for a report on what’s happening there – without success. We don’t know how he is. Telephone and internet connections are down. Haiti is almost completely cut off from the world. We are in the dark.’
Fr Don Chambers lived in Haiti for a year. He knows how poor the people are and has seen the Catholic Church active in the country amidst limited resources. He is the National Director of Missio Jamaica and had been working alongside his Haitian counterpart, Fr Clarck de la Cruz.
In his latest report, Fr Chambers reveals something of the difficulties Fr de la Cruz faced: ‘Prior to the disaster resources were already stressed. I spoke with Fr de la Cruz some months ago. He didn’t have the material or financial resources to provide all the pastoral needs that existed then. Now the situation is multiplied 10, 20, 30 times. They already had great need for material resources for pastoral projects, providing food, orphanages and schools. Parish priests struggled to feed the people. Now the situation will be even more difficult.’
Fortunately both Fr Chambers and Fr de la Cruz work for an organisation that is located in 120 countries and, on receiving the news of the earthquake, was able to mobilise itself immediately. As soon as they heard of the violent earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January, Missio offices across the world responded.
Although not an emergency aid organisation, Missio was already working in Haiti and in 2009 alone, gave £286,000 towards supporting the work of the Church in basic and preventative healthcare, education, pastoral care and building projects, including major reconstruction in Port-au-Prince after massive flooding. It was not difficult to add a further £290,000 for immediate assistance, knowing that the Catholic parishes across the world would rise to the occasion, coming together to rebuild the shattered island where more than 80% of the 9 million people are Catholic.
Fr Chambers spoke with a journalist who had been to the Port-au-Prince Cathedral on Sunday. ‘It was filled to capacity, people standing amongst the rubble of the collapsed building. The priest preached that “People will rise above the rubble of destruction”. Thank you for your prayers.’
Sr Aideen of La Sainte Union High School in Cricklewood spoke of the situation faced by many missionaries in Haiti. ‘We have three Sisters in Port-au-Prince and know they were unhurt because they were able to send a message to us via the Irish Embassy. However the convent was damaged and so the Sisters are now sleeping in a rocky field out-of-doors with the poor. Everybody is too frightened to sleep indoors.
‘We also know that the Oblates of Mary Immaculate nearby lost seven seminarians and a Passionist priest also died. Out on the missions, there is a very strong friendship and support between the missionaries and so it is hard when there is this sort of tragedy. The Sisters are there, working with the poor, but it is very difficult to obtain information at the moment. We know they are alive and for that, we thank God.’
Mgr John Dale spoke for Missio worldwide: 'Thanks to the generosity of Catholics, Missio will stand alongside the Church in Haiti as it attempts to restore some sense of normality to shattered lives. We will be there with the Religious Orders, who were already ministering to the poor; together we will struggle to attend to the needs of millions with greatly-reduced resources. We will be there for as long as the people of Haiti need us; we help them rebuild their sense of hope and dignity.'
You can donate to the Church in
Haiti through Missio. For further information, please phone 020 7821 9755 or e-mail Monsignor John Dale at: director@missio.org.uk or visit www.missio.org.uk for website donations.
